10 Best Dance Universities USA 2024 

With over 4,000 colleges in the U.S., narrowing down the best dance programs can feel a bit too overwhelming. Did you know that the best dance universities USA like Juilliard and NYU consistently rank among the best for dance, drawing students worldwide for their unique blend of performance opportunities and professional connections? Choosing the right bachelor program in the USA is super-important, as it shapes not just your skills but your entire career trajectory.

But the reality is, many aspiring dancers struggle with finding a program that offers more than just technique. The dance industry is highly competitive, and without the right exposure to performance opportunities, guest choreographers, and industry connections, even the most talented students can find themselves lost. Understanding the GPA required to study in the USA is just the beginning. The key is choosing a university that aligns with your career goals while offering real-world experience to help you succeed on stage and beyond.

Why Pursue a Dance Major?

A dance degree provides students with more than simply technical skills; it develops creativity, discipline, and physical strength. Dance majors learn a wide range of dance forms, choreography, and performance skills, allowing them to adapt to varied styles. The program also promotes critical thinking and teamwork by teaching students how to examine movements, music, and artistic expression while working with peers and choreographers. Just make sure to stay away from fraud universities in the USA while you apply.

Many programs also offer business-related courses, which prepare students for vocations other than performing, such as arts management, teaching, or choreography. Graduates have a greater grasp of dance’s cultural and historical context, as well as professional skills applicable to a wide range of creative industries.

What Factors Determine The Top Dance College Program For International Students?

Choosing the right dance program as an international student is more than just finding a school—it’s about finding a place where your passion for dance can thrive through opportunities, industry connections, and top-notch facilities.

Dance Performance Opportunities

A top program offers numerous performance opportunities for students to showcase their talent in professional settings. Schools like NYU and Juilliard’s Dance Division provide regular performances, collaborations with renowned choreographers, and access to industry events. These experiences are crucial for international students looking to build their profiles in the global dance industry. Make sure whether you need an SAT score to study in the USA or not.

State-of-the-Art Dance Studios

The quality of the dance studios and facilities is critical. Programs like those at USC and NYU are known for their cutting-edge studios, which are essential for advanced training in various dance styles. These facilities help students practice in professional environments, mirroring what they will encounter in the dance industry. This is a degree which is something you cannot do from distance learning universities in USA though.

Connections with the Dance Industry

Top colleges maintain strong ties with the dance industry, offering students access to internships, workshops, and networking events. For example, NYU’s dance program works closely with professionals in New York’s vibrant dance scene, helping students secure internships and job opportunities. Such connections are invaluable for international students aiming to establish themselves in the U.S. dance market. But while choosing your college, make sure you understand the difference between the public and private universities in the USA.

Comprehensive Dance Division

The program’s curriculum should cover all aspects of dance, from technique to choreography, history, and business. The dance division at schools like Juilliard and University of Michigan offers a holistic education, ensuring students develop both artistic and practical skills. This balance prepares international students for diverse careers in performance, choreography, and dance management. But be mindful of the cost of studying in the USA for international students.

Top 10 Best Dance Schools in the USA

Let us now take a look at some of the top dance schools in the U.S., each offering unique programs that blend rigorous training, ample performance opportunities, and career-focused guidance for aspiring dancers

1. The Juilliard School

Known globally for its excellence in the performing arts, Juilliard offers a BFA in Dance that focuses on a rigorous technical foundation in ballet and modern dance. The curriculum includes classical ballet techniques like pointe and partnering, as well as modern dance techniques such as Graham, Limón, and Cunningham. Additionally, students study choreography, improvisation, and contemporary partnering, while being exposed to jazz, tap, and hip-hop. 

Opportunities to Perform: Juilliard dancers participate in around 30 performances each year, including the New Dances series where each class collaborates with a professional choreographer. The school also stages masterworks from renowned choreographers in its spring repertory series and offers opportunities for students to choreograph their own works. 

Career Development: The yearlong senior seminar prepares dancers for professional auditions, covering industry insights, self-evaluation, and portfolio preparation. Graduates often join prestigious dance companies or pursue further creative endeavors.

Notable alumni: Robert Battle, Paul Taylor, and Sylvia Waters.

2. University of Michigan

The University of Michigan’s Department of Dance offers a BFA that blends rigorous training in modern dance, ballet, and jazz. Students can also explore movement analysis, dance technology, kinesiology, and pedagogy. The program is known for its focus on creative development through composition and choreography.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in multiple productions throughout the year, including faculty and guest artist works. The university has a close relationship with dance companies in Detroit and Ann Arbor, giving students opportunities to perform in professional environments.

Career Development: The program integrates career preparation with courses in arts management and production, equipping students with the tools to succeed as performers, choreographers, or educators.

Notable alumni: Amy Chavasse, Robin Wilson.

3. New York University

NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts offers a BFA in Dance that combines performance with a strong focus on choreography. The three-year, two-summer program includes training in ballet, modern dance, improvisation, and composition. Students also study acting, music literature, and dance history to round out their education. If you are worried about your score, you might be able to get into NYU with a low GPA given you have other areas to compensate it with.

Opportunities to Perform: Tisch students have the opportunity to work with both faculty and guest choreographers. Each year, students present their work in studio theater concerts and repertory performances, with seniors also performing new works created by professional choreographers.

Career Development: In their final year, students join the Second Avenue Dance Company, gaining professional performance experience while networking with industry professionals.

Notable alumni: Kyle Abraham, Denis Jones.

4. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)

The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance offers a BFA that integrates a conservatory-style training in ballet and contemporary dance with a strong academic core. The program’s innovative curriculum includes courses in dance science, choreography, and dance technology.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in faculty and guest artist works throughout the academic year, with opportunities to showcase choreography in student productions. USC Kaufman also partners with LA-based dance companies, allowing students to engage with the local dance scene.

Career Development: The program emphasizes entrepreneurship in dance, preparing students for diverse careers in performance, choreography, and arts management. 

Notable alumni: Emma Portner, Eduardo Vilaro.

5. Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

Northwestern University’s dance program offers a BA with a focus on both performance and academic study. While training in ballet and modern dance, students also engage in choreography, dance history, and performance studies. The program encourages interdisciplinary work, allowing students to combine their dance studies with other academic interests.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in the annual Danceworks concert series and student-run performances. The Dance Program also collaborates with Northwestern’s School of Communication to integrate dance with theater and performance studies.

Career Development: Northwestern offers courses in arts administration and dance technology, helping students navigate the professional world of performance, teaching, or dance writing.

Notable alumni: Gillian Murphy, Meredith Monk.

6. Emory University (Atlanta, GA)

Emory University’s dance program provides a BA with a focus on both technical and creative development. Students study modern dance, ballet, and African dance, alongside composition, improvisation, and dance history. The program emphasizes research, offering opportunities to explore the intersection of dance and other academic fields.

Opportunities to Perform: The program hosts several performances each year, including faculty works, student choreography, and guest artist residencies. Emory’s student-run dance company, Adrenaline, offers additional performance opportunities.

Career Development: Emory’s curriculum includes arts administration, preparing students for careers in performance, choreography, and arts management.

Notable alumni: Blake Beckham, T. Lang.

7. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell offers a BA in Performing and Media Arts with a concentration in dance. Students can focus on contemporary, ballet, or social dance while studying dance theory, choreography, and performance. The program’s interdisciplinary nature allows students to combine dance with other academic interests such as film, theater, and media studies.

Career Development: Students perform in faculty and student choreography showcases, as well as in collaboration with other departments. Cornell also hosts guest choreographers for master classes and residencies.

Post-college prep: Cornell’s dance program emphasizes creative thinking and innovation, preparing students for careers in both dance and interdisciplinary fields. Notable alumni: Leslie Cuyjet, Peggy Hackney.

8. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)

UF’s School of Theatre and Dance offers a BFA in Dance, with a curriculum focused on modern, ballet, and choreography. Students can also study dance history, anatomy, and kinesiology at the University of Florida. The program encourages experimentation and innovation in dance.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in two mainstage dance concerts each year and have the opportunity to showcase their choreography in informal concerts. The program also collaborates with local and national dance companies for additional performance opportunities.

Career Development: The program offers professional development courses that cover topics like auditioning, teaching, and arts administration.

Notable alumni: Tzveta Kassabova, Andy Noble.

9. Duke University (Durham, NC)

Duke University’s dance program offers a BA with a focus on modern dance, choreography, and dance history. The program encourages interdisciplinary exploration, allowing students to combine their dance studies with other academic fields such as neuroscience, cultural anthropology, and film.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in faculty and guest artist works, as well as in student choreography showcases. Duke also hosts a visiting artist series, which brings in internationally recognized choreographers for workshops and performances.

Career Development: Duke’s program emphasizes critical thinking and interdisciplinary research, preparing students for diverse careers in the arts, academia, or other fields.

Notable alumni: Panaibra Gabriel Canda, Eiko Otake.

10. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)

Claremont McKenna offers a dance program as part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, which allows students to take dance courses at Scripps College. The program focuses on modern dance, ballet, and choreography, with opportunities to explore interdisciplinary connections with the humanities and social sciences. Just get your basics clear, like the age limit for doing a bachelor’s degree in the USA.

Opportunities to Perform: Students perform in faculty and student works throughout the year, with access to performances across the consortium. Guest artist residencies provide additional opportunities to engage with the professional dance world.

Career Development: The program emphasizes both technical training and academic study, preparing students for careers in dance or other fields such as arts management or education.

Notable alumni: Carrie Mae Weems, Victoria Marks.

Now here is a table which gives you a quick look at the best courses offered by these top universities along with the approximate tuition fees and course duration.

University	Course Offered	Tuition Fee (for Indian Students)	Course Duration
The Juilliard School (New York, NY)	BFA in Dance	$56,550 per year	4 years
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)	BFA in Dance	$59,520 per year	4 years
New York University (New York, NY)	BFA in Dance (Tisch School)	$62,062 per year	3 years + 2 summers
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)	BFA in Dance	$63,468 per year	4 years
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)	BA in Dance	$67,320 per year	4 years
Emory University (Atlanta, GA)	BA in Dance	$60,446 per year	4 years
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)	BA in Performing and Media Arts (Dance Concentration)	$66,014 per year	4 years
University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)	BFA in Dance	$28,658 per year (out-of-state)	4 years
Duke University (Durham, NC)	BA in Dance	$66,400 per year	4 years
Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)	BA in Dance (through Scripps College)	$64,400 per year	4 years

Are Scholarships Available For International Students To Study At Dance Universities In The USA?

Yes, scholarships are many postgraduate scholarships available for international students in the USA to study at dance universities in the U.S. Many institutions offer merit-based, need-based, and talent-based scholarships specifically for international students pursuing degrees in dance. Also, make sure to understand whether you can study in the USA with a B1/B2 visa.

University/Organization	Scholarship Type	Details
The Juilliard School	Merit-based, Need-based	90% of students receive financial aid; international students are eligible for both merit and need-based aid​
University of Michigan	Merit-based, Need-based	Scholarships available through the School of Music, Theatre & Dance
New York University (Tisch School)	Talent-based, Merit-based	Competitive talent-based and merit scholarships available for dance majors
Fulbright Program	External Scholarship	Provides scholarships for graduate-level international students, including dance programs.
Aga Khan Foundation	External Scholarship	Offers scholarships for students from developing countries for postgraduate studies, including arts and dance.
Princess Grace Foundation	Dance-specific Awards	Awards scholarships and grants to young dancers pursuing advanced training or university degrees.
YoungArts Foundation	Dance-specific Awards	Provides scholarships and awards to talented young dancers for further studies.

Conclusion

Choosing the right dance college is about more than just a name—it’s about finding the best universities in USA for international students that offers the perfect blend of technical training, performance opportunities, and industry connections. Schools like NYU, Juilliard, and USC provide world-class education, professional exposure, and access to dance studios that help turn passion into a career. At the end of the day, it’s about preparing for the future, where the stage isn’t just a platform to perform but a springboard into a thriving career in the global dance industry. The right choice can set the rhythm for your success.

Seize the opportunity to study in the USA, where innovation meets tradition in education. Ambitio’s comprehensive support will guide you through selecting universities, preparing for entrance exams, and understanding the cultural landscape, ensuring a smooth transition and successful academic experience in the United States.

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